Coach Brianna shares the simple shift that helped her break free from holiday overeating. Her “crescent roll moment” will change the way you look at Thanksgiving plates and everyday choices, and might just be the mindset reset you’ve been needing.
Thanksgiving used to be my personal Olympics of overeating. It was the one day a year when tracking and boundaries magically disappeared. I’d walk into the holiday convinced it was my only chance to indulge in foods I believed were “once a year” treats, mostly because I over-restricted the rest of the time. I’d make a mental list of everything I wanted to try, pile my plate way too high “because it’s a holiday,” and then end the day feeling uncomfortably full, a little guilty, and if I’m being honest, pretty disappointed.
But a few years ago, something small and almost silly happened that completely changed the way I approach the holiday table and the way I think about food in general.
It started with a Pillsbury crescent roll.
I was enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with family. I had already eaten a full plate of food, and as I reached for yet another crescent roll, a thought hit me so clearly it actually startled me:
“I could literally make these any day of the year.”
That was it.
That tiny, obvious realization completely rewired my brain.
Why was I overeating crescent rolls—of all things—just because it was Thanksgiving? They weren’t a once-a-year specialty. They weren’t homemade. They weren’t even my favorite thing on the table.
If I wanted crescent rolls tomorrow, I could drive to the store, spend a few dollars, and have a whole tray ready in twelve minutes. So why was I acting like it was my last chance to enjoy them?
That’s when it clicked:
So much of our holiday overeating isn’t about hunger.
It’s about perceived scarcity.
We tell ourselves things like:
But is that actually true? For me, it absolutely wasn’t. The scarcity was completely made up. And once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it.
The moment I recognized that crescent rolls were available any day of the week, something shifted. I didn’t need to fill up on the foods I could have anytime.
Instead, I wanted to save room for:
For the first time, my holiday plate became intentional instead of a free-for-all.
That crescent roll moment taught me something bigger, something I still use in my everyday relationship with food:
Don’t overeat foods that aren’t truly special.
Save your appetite and your “worth it” moments for the things you genuinely love. This applies to weeknight snacks, restaurant bread baskets, and random grocery-store cravings. When I remind myself that I can always have something later, it removes the urgency. And when the urgency goes away, so does the impulse to overeat.
Here are a few ways to use this mindset shift in your own life:
1. Identify what’s truly special to you.
What do you only get at the holidays?
Which foods carry tradition, memory, or meaning?
Prioritize those.
2. Release the foods you can get any time.
Store-bought rolls.
Everyday cookies.
Basic mashed potatoes.
Generic snacks.
You do not need to eat something just because it is on the table.
3. Remind yourself that you can have it again tomorrow.
Take the pressure off.
Let go of the scarcity mindset.
Watch how quickly the desire to overeat fades.
4. Give yourself permission to enjoy what you truly love.
Intentional eating is not restriction.
It is choosing joy on purpose.
A holiday plate—and everyday eating—does not have to be chaotic or guilt-filled. Sometimes all it takes is a tiny realization like “I can buy crescent rolls any day of the week” to let go of overeating and start making decisions that feel good in your body and your life.
This epiphany didn’t just change my holidays. It changed every moment I used to label as a “special occasion.” And I hope it helps bring a little more food freedom to your life this season, too.
November 25, 2025
